KEYn= scoring key

Usually only KEY1= is needed for an MCQ scoring key.

Up to 99 keys can be provided for scoring the response choices, with control variables KEY1= through KEY99=. Usually KEY1= is a character string of "correct" response choices. The standard is one column per correct response, or two columns if XWIDE=2.

As standard, responses matching the characters in KEY1= are scored 1. Other valid responses are scored 0. KEY2= through KEY99= are character strings of successively "more correct" response choices to be used when more than one level of correct response choice is possible for one or more items. The standard score value for KEY2= is 2, and so on up to the standard score value for KEY99= which is 99. The values assigned to these keys can be changed by means of KEYSCR=. If XWIDE=1, only the values assigned to KEY1= through KEY9= can be changed, KEY10= through KEY99= retain their standard values of 10 through 99. If XWIDE=2, the all KEYn= values can be changed.

Example 1: A key for a 20-item multiple choice exam, in which the choices are coded "1", "2", "3" and "4", with one correct choice per item, scored 1. Wrong, invalid and missing responses are scored 0.

Example 3: A 20 item multiple choice exam with two somewhat correct response choices per item. One of the correct choices is "more" correct than the other choice for each item, so the "less correct" choice will get a score of "1" (using KEY1=) and the "more correct" choice will get a score of "2" (using KEY2=). All other response choices will be scored "0":